Real estate roundup

Construction on a pocket park in the heart of Spring Hill's commercial area should begin early next year, according to members of the Village of Spring Hill.

The park, featuring benches, lighting and lush landscaping, will be built on land owned by Regions Bank next to its branch office on Old Shell Road, said Linda St. John, president of the nonprofit Village of Spring Hill.

"It was very generous of the bank to allow the community to use the land," she said. "We're trying to implement all the steps of our Village plan. The pocket park will get people out on the streets and shopping in all the stores."

The Village of Spring Hill has worked to improve the area's major intersections and streetscapes. The Village sought input from residents as it has developed ideas to revitalize the community and hired national urban planners to develop new zoning rules to update the business district. Developers now have the option to use the existing zoning guidelines or choose the new Village zoning.

Thanks to the Village's blueprint, other improvements include concrete sidewalks on the south side of Old Shell Road, from McGregor Avenue to University Boulevard; a clock tower and green space in front of CVS Pharmacy at Old Shell Road and McGregor Avenue; and new decorative lighting and streetscapes in many commercial areas.

The new park was designed by Terry Plauche of Plauche Johnson Landscape Architects in Mobile.

The J.L. Bedsole Foundation offered a $20,000 grant to jump-start the park project, St. John said. "We needed about $65,000. We have had remarkable response from the community."

Residents can donate money for a bench, a light or a tree and have it labeled with a plaque in honor or in memory of a loved one, she said. All but one bench and two trees planned have been sold. 

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Habitat to hit milestone

Habitat for Humanity in Mobile County will start its 200th newly built home in February, a milestone for the local branch of the national movement.

Since 1988, the Mobile office has built, rehabbed or repaired more than 200 houses, according to Brenda Carson Lawless, president and chief executive of Habitat in Mobile County. The nonprofit will soon expand and serve affordable housing needs in Washington and Clarke counties, she said.

The Mobile group also plans to rehab 25 foreclosed homes and repair five homes through its "A Brush With Kindness" exterior repair program, she said.

Habitat for Humanity International passed the 400,000-house milestone in its 2010 fiscal year. In the same year, Habitat International also served a record 74,960 families worldwide through a combination of new construction, rehabilitation and repairs.